Success breeds success, and economic growth in the South Atlantic States — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia — is a prime example of this, especially when it comes to foreign investment.

"There is a lot of follow-the-leader in site selection, and the South Atlantic States have done a very good job of recruiting these [foreign] companies," says Noah Shlaes, senior managing director of Global Corporate Services at Newmark Grubb Knight Frank in Chicago. "The very first thing that all of these companies look for is quality and availability of labor," says Shlaes. The South Atlantic States' strong and diverse labor force runs the gamut from manufacturing and corporate headquarters to back office and IT workers.

Located in the Chattahoochee Valley about 100 miles south of Atlanta, Columbus is the third-largest city in Georgia. With Fort Benning located just to the southeast, Columbus is a busy military town. When the populations of Alabama cities Auburn and Opelika are added to form the Columbus MSA, the work force swells to nearly 300,000. Many of these highly skilled workers are former soldiers who are in high demand because of their excellent training, discipline, and strong work ethic.

Key industries in Columbus are insurance, food processing, warehousing and logistics, and manufacturing. Companies with major operations in Columbus include Aflac, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, NCR, W.C. Bradley Company, and Synovus.

Local corporations have made more than $2 billion in investments over the last five years — especially in the automotive sector. Kia Motors, which generates an annual economic impact of about $4 billion for the community, recently completed a $100 million expansion that will boost manufacturing capacity by about 20 percent. Pratt and Whitney's Columbus Engine Center is a major part of its global large commercial engine maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) network. Exide Technologies, which manufactures advanced batteries for the automobile industry, is also expanding and will create 100 new jobs by the end of 2013.

4.

Morgantown

WV

366,513

63

According to the Milken Institute, Morgantown was the second-best performing small city in 2012. For the same year, Forbes ranked Morgantown seventh on its top-10 list of the "Best Cities for Business and Careers."

The Morgantown MSA provides a small-town atmosphere and lifestyle, with big city advantages. Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University (WVU), one of the leading research universities in the country.

Morgantown is growing its healthcare and high-tech sectors by anchoring the "I-79 High Tech Corridor." Recent developments along the corridor include Morgantown's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development, National Biometric Security Center, National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the Software Engineering Research Center.

According to a March 2012 report by the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the Morgantown MSA is the "most balanced and dynamic metropolitan economy in the state" with a job-growth rate that is expected to average 1.8 percent per year during the next five years.

5.

Hinesville-Fort Stewart

GA

77,917

69

6.

Columbia

SC

767,598

91

7.

Naples-Marco Island

FL

321,520

94

8.

Gainesville

GA

179,684

103

9.

Jacksonville

NC

177,772

105

10.

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

NC-SC

1,758,038

111

11.

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford

VA

162,958

112

12.

Greenville-Mauldin-Easley

SC

636,986

121

13.

Fayetteville

NC

366,383

129

14.

Spartanburg

SC

284,307

132

15.

Harrisonburg

VA

125,228

140

City

State

2010
Population

Overall
Rank

1.

Fayetteville

NC

366,383

6

2.

Tallahassee

FL

367,413

9

3.

Augusta-Richmond County

GA-SC

556,877

19

4.

Naples-Marco Island

FL

321,520

25

5.

Hinesville-Fort Stewart

GA

77,917

26

6.

Jacksonville

NC

177,772

30

7.

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville

SC

664,607

39

8.

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville

FL

543,376

40

9.

Columbus

GA-AL

294,865

49

Located in the Chattahoochee Valley about 100 miles south of Atlanta, Columbus is the third-largest city in Georgia. With Fort Benning located just to the southeast, Columbus is a busy military town. When the populations of Alabama cities Auburn and Opelika are added to form the Columbus MSA, the work force swells to nearly 300,000. Many of these highly skilled workers are former soldiers who are in high demand because of their excellent training, discipline, and strong work ethic.

Key industries in Columbus are insurance, food processing, warehousing and logistics, and manufacturing. Companies with major operations in Columbus include Aflac, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, NCR, W.C. Bradley Company, and Synovus.

Local corporations have made more than $2 billion in investments over the last five years — especially in the automotive sector. Kia Motors, which generates an annual economic impact of about $4 billion for the community, recently completed a $100 million expansion that will boost manufacturing capacity by about 20 percent. Pratt and Whitney's Columbus Engine Center is a major part of its global large commercial engine maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) network. Exide Technologies, which manufactures advanced batteries for the automobile industry, is also expanding and will create 100 new jobs by the end of 2013.

10.

Gainesville

FL

264,275

60

City

State

2010
Population

Overall
Rank

1.

Durham-Chapel Hill

NC

504357

26

2.

Morgantown

WV

366,513

31

According to the Milken Institute, Morgantown was the second-best performing small city in 2012. For the same year, Forbes ranked Morgantown seventh on its top-10 list of the "Best Cities for Business and Careers."

The Morgantown MSA provides a small-town atmosphere and lifestyle, with big city advantages. Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University (WVU), one of the leading research universities in the country.

Morgantown is growing its healthcare and high-tech sectors by anchoring the "I-79 High Tech Corridor." Recent developments along the corridor include Morgantown's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development, National Biometric Security Center, National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the Software Engineering Research Center.

According to a March 2012 report by the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the Morgantown MSA is the "most balanced and dynamic metropolitan economy in the state" with a job-growth rate that is expected to average 1.8 percent per year during the next five years.

3.

Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville

SC

664,607

45

4.

Hinesville-Fort Stewart

GA

77,917

55

5.

Raleigh-Cary

NC

1,130,490

57

6.

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

NC-SC

1,758,038

67

7.

Gainesville

GA

179,684

87

8.

Jacksonville

NC

177,772

97

9.

Greensboro-High Point

NC

723,801

103

10.

Spartanburg

SC

284307

109

City

State

2010
Population

Overall
Rank

1.

Morgantown

WV

366,513

22

According to the Milken Institute, Morgantown was the second-best performing small city in 2012. For the same year, Forbes ranked Morgantown seventh on its top-10 list of the "Best Cities for Business and Careers."

The Morgantown MSA provides a small-town atmosphere and lifestyle, with big city advantages. Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University (WVU), one of the leading research universities in the country.

Morgantown is growing its healthcare and high-tech sectors by anchoring the "I-79 High Tech Corridor." Recent developments along the corridor include Morgantown's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development, National Biometric Security Center, National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the Software Engineering Research Center.

According to a March 2012 report by the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the Morgantown MSA is the "most balanced and dynamic metropolitan economy in the state" with a job-growth rate that is expected to average 1.8 percent per year during the next five years.

2.

Columbus

GA-AL

294,865

33

3.

Jacksonville

NC

177,772

46

4.

Hinesville-Fort Stewart

GA

77,917

47

5.

Fayetteville

NC

366,383

52

6.

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

NC-SC

1,758,038

69

7.

Durham-Chapel Hill

NC

504,357

89

8.

Wheeling

WV-OH

147,950

90

9.

Charlottesville

VA

201,559

123

10.

Huntington-Ashland

WV-KY-OH

287,702

144

City

State

2010
Population

Overall
Rank

1.

Gainesville

GA

179,684

28

2.

Columbia

SC

767,598

29

3.

Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill

NC-SC

1,758,038

31

4.

Naples-Marco Island

FL

321,520

33

5.

Morgantown

WV

366,513

35

According to the Milken Institute, Morgantown was the second-best performing small city in 2012. For the same year, Forbes ranked Morgantown seventh on its top-10 list of the "Best Cities for Business and Careers."

The Morgantown MSA provides a small-town atmosphere and lifestyle, with big city advantages. Morgantown is the home of West Virginia University (WVU), one of the leading research universities in the country.

Morgantown is growing its healthcare and high-tech sectors by anchoring the "I-79 High Tech Corridor." Recent developments along the corridor include Morgantown's National Energy Technology Laboratory, Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and Development, National Biometric Security Center, National Research Center for Coal and Energy, and the Software Engineering Research Center.

According to a March 2012 report by the WVU Bureau of Business and Economic Research, the Morgantown MSA is the "most balanced and dynamic metropolitan economy in the state" with a job-growth rate that is expected to average 1.8 percent per year during the next five years.

Close
6/10/2013Publishers Note: 2013 Leading Locations Rankings Correction
In the initially released 2013 Leading Locations report, a data entry error resulted in the misalignment of rankings for some MSA’s – these MSA’s had wrongly attributed rankings stated in each of the four indicators used within the "Young, Prime Work Force" and "Prime Work Force Inward Migration" sub-categories (see methodology for details.)
As a result of the corrections, the “Prime Workforce” category rankings and the overall rankings for all MSAs were minimally effected and have also been updated and restated.
Email jshea@areadevelopment.com for more information or any questions related to the above.